


Two Dozen Roses

by BarbwireRose



Series: Birthdays Done Right [1]
Category: The Avengers (2012), Thor (2011)
Genre: Community: norsekink, Loki Has Issues, M/M, birthday angst, implied fail! parenting, super Steve to the rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-24
Updated: 2012-03-24
Packaged: 2017-11-02 11:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/368269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarbwireRose/pseuds/BarbwireRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After having his birthday overlooked for a third time, Loki embarks on a path of wanton destruction in order to make himself feel better. When said mission fails, Steve arrives with an offer of presents in an attempt to ward off further disaster. *Rewritten 7/4/14*</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Dozen Roses

**Author's Note:**

> I think I've finally gotten this thing where I'm happy with the characterizations, and I swear this will be the last time I try and tweak this story.

If I had two dozen roses and an old bottle of wine  
If I really could've hung the moon, would it change your mind  
If I could cry a little harder and get a little less sleep at night  
If I had two dozen roses, would it change your mind ~ Shenandoah

The first time this had happened, Loki had been a little more forgiving, for the need to avoid a war that would span all nine realms had been slightly more important than his sixteenth birthday. Nevertheless, he had expected his family to make it up to him once the matters of war had been settled, but they never did. In fact, two years later he found his big day being overshadowed by his brother’s defeat of a rogue group of trolls, a fact that Loki couldn’t help but resent no matter what his mother claimed. Once the hubbub surrounding Thor’s victory had settled down, Frigga had tried to placate him, but Loki would have none of it. Victory over a few stray trolls in the far-off reaches of Asgard had officially become more important to the king and queen than their younger son’s day of maturity, and Loki had made sure to remind them of that on a regular basis.

When Loki had his birthday overlooked for a third time, the bitterness that had festered within his heart finally became too much for him to bear, and he swore vengeance upon those who had seemingly wronged him. Nothing lifted his spirits quite like a round of senseless destruction, and the mortals of Midgard made such easy targets. However, once his campaign of chaos was brought to an end by his nuisance of a brother, Loki was back to feeling hollow and defeated, like a leaf that had finally succumbed to a harsh wind. Needless to say, he had not stuck around for any post-battle explanations, and for some reason this fact had seemed to bother Thor and his friends, not that Loki had been paying attention to their reactions or anything.

His subsequent descent into self-pity was not a pretty sight, and Loki thanked the Norns that no one was around to witness his eventual breakdown, for he knew no bystander would ever let him hear the end of it. Although his expression remained carefully guarded, it wouldn’t have taken a genius to figure out that not all was well with the Trickster as he sat curled up in the ledge of his window, dull eyes staring at the view beyond without really seeing anything. He could’ve done with some company if only to have someone to break up the monotony of the evening, but the unexpected ringing of his doorbell seemed too good to be true, almost as if he’d managed to conjure up his mystery guest with his thoughts alone. Since Loki couldn’t be bothered with moving from his comfortable position, he settled for waving a slack hand in the general direction of the door in order to grant his mystery guest entry before he went back to idly tracing patterns through the moisture on the windowpane with his index finger.

“Come to kick the poor villain while he’s down?”

Since his guest chose to remain curiously silent, Loki went ahead and took the first step of interaction, but he was unable to prevent a trace of his inner turmoil from bleeding into his voice, causing it to sound thin and strained. Surprisingly, the other person didn’t comment on it, and the god’s ire began to boil anew. What, was he not worth at least a laugh anymore? For some reason, that thought hurt more than it should have, and Loki felt his eyes begin to gather moisture. Sometimes…sometimes, he wished that he’d never decided to stay on this ridiculous realm with its pathetic mortals, for the meddlesome creatures were more trouble than they were worth.

Loki clenched his jaw in a valiant effort to stave off the round of hysterics that threatened to erupt from the back of his throat, but his emotions weren’t so easy to beat into submission. When the Trickster finally turned to greet his visitor, his emerald orbs were awash in moisture, and his throat was working double-time to get rid of the saliva that had flooded his mouth. He knew his appearance was dreadful; however, the Avenger who stood fixed in place on the other side of the room wasn’t looking much better himself.

“You look lost, Captain Rogers,” Loki sneered, a slight trace of disappointment underlining the jibe. He’d been expecting Thor to seek him out, but Loki supposed that the Captain would make just as fine of a target in a pinch. “I would ask how you found me but I fear it would be a grand waste of time.”

Steve had envisioned Loki to be extra prickly, but he hadn’t been prepared to see the god with actual tears in his eyes and had to momentarily steel his nerves. He could do this, he told himself firmly, for there was a lot riding on his ability to talk Loki out of this slump he was currently in.

“Thor wasn’t sure if he’d be welcome, so he asked if I would come and see how you were doing,” Steve replied, his gaze never wavering as he took measured steps to close the distance between them.

The Trickster had never seen Rogers look so determined, and the sight of the blond stalking towards him had Loki’s blood heating in anticipation. He would not be averse to going a round or two with the Captain, for the man was the only one besides Thor who seemed capable of matching him blow-for-blow.

“And why pray tell would Thor be under that impression?” Loki snorted indelicately, his narrowed eyes following the Captain’s every move as the blond continued his careful approach.

Steve still wasn’t convinced that he was the right person for this task, and he had a feeling that his next move would determine whether or not he made it out of Loki’s lair with all of his parts still attached and in working condition. However, considering the alternative of letting Loki stew and take out more of his frustration on the city, this was a risk the Captain was more than willing to take.

“He seems to think that you’re angry with him, and he didn’t want to risk making things worse by showing up unwanted so…”

“So Thor asked you to come in his stead,” Loki picked up where Steve’s voice had trailed off, an appraising brow quirking at the man’s shrug of affirmation. “Not an unwise decision on his part, I must say, considering you are perhaps the best diplomat amongst your little band of misfits.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Steve’s lips twitched with the ghost of a smile as he came to a stop next to the window Loki was resting in, his gaze lingering on the god’s unreadable face before he finally took a seat on the remaining bit of ledge. “Look, Thor wasn’t exactly helpful, so I was kind of hoping that you could enlighten me as to why you felt the need to rampage through the city yesterday.”

Loki knew that the man wasn’t being entirely truthful, the fluttery pulse at the base of Steve’s throat was a dead giveaway that he was nervous about something, but his blue eyes were open and honest and practically begging for the truth. When he looked back on this night years into the future, Loki would claim that it was a combination of Steve’s eyes and his own need to voice his hurt that had loosened his tongue.

“Yesterday was my birthday, and no one remembered…no one ever remembers,” the Trickster admitted softly, the words barely scraping past the lump in his throat.

“So you thought that you’d make yourself feel better by destroying things?” Steve asked sardonically, which earned him a fleeting but genuine smile.

“If it is any consolation, Captain, my actions yesterday only served as a temporary balm. I am just as discontented now as I was before,” Loki said dryly, and the blond couldn’t help but return his ironic smirk.

“Anyone ever tell you that you need to find another method for improving your mood?”

“Not in so many words,” Loki whispered, eyes turning downcast as he unfurled his body from the corner and moved to sit closer to Steve. “There is something you are not telling me, Captain. What is it?”

Maybe it was his innate desire to be honest with people or Loki’s sudden invasion of his personal space, but Steve decided not to test the god’s patience by pretending not to understand what he meant, choosing instead to just come out with it and let the chips fall where they may.

“Look, the truth is…Thor knew about your birthday, but he didn’t tell the rest of us until after we’d cleaned up the mess you made,” Steve sighed dejectedly, bracing himself for an onslaught of vicious words or even a physical blow, but nothing ever came.

Loki seemed to be having trouble processing this new information, and it was several apprehensive moments later before he muttered, “You mean to say that my brother was aware of what yesterday was, yet he chose to ignore me,” somehow managing to sound indignant despite having his voice crack and eventually taper off into a hoarse whisper.

“Seeing as you wanted his head on a pike and all, he didn’t think it would be wise to bring it up, didn’t think you’d take too kindly to anything he had to say,” Steve explained calmly, a guilty lump settling in his stomach at the stricken expression that flitted across Loki’s face.

“Be that as it may, I think I preferred the idea of him simply forgetting my birthday,” Loki sniffed, “at least that is something I am familiar with.”

“You mean…”

“This is hardly the first time that I have spent my birthday alone,” Loki snapped, folding his arms across his chest defensively. “When I turned sixteen, my birthday was overlooked due to the threat of war, and when I turned eighteen it was passed over because of Thor. You must think I am overreacting…”

“I never said that,” Steve protested meekly, but this just seemed to spur Loki on.

“How would _you_ feel if your day of maturity was overlooked in favor of your brother’s victory over a small group of meaningless trolls? All anyone could talk about that day was Thor, Thor, Thor; it was humiliating! My family failed to notice my lack of appearances over the next few days, although knowing what I do now I am unsurprised. Why waste your time with a Jotun’s spawn when you could be reveling in your true son’s glory?”

Steve stared thoughtfully at the flustered god next to him as certain pieces of the Thor and Loki puzzle clicked into place inside his head. “You’ve waited a long time to share that with someone, haven’t you?” he asked tentatively, his gentle smile tinged with sadness.

Having grown accustomed to keeping the majority of his emotions bottled up inside, Loki was momentarily surprised at how pleasant it felt to voice his hurts aloud without the fear of judgment. Alas, the Captain’s sympathetic smile left a bitter taste in his mouth. He wasn’t looking for pity.

“Just because I find your company acceptable does not mean that I will not hurl you through this very window, Captain. Thor’s reason for neglecting my birthday may be sound on this occasion, but I still demand satisfaction,” Loki sneered, but his anger only caused Steve’s lips to twitch in barely concealed amusement.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say that you were challenging me to a duel,” Steve chuckled, all the while unaware of the gears turning in Loki’s head until it was too late.

The Trickster smiled openly at Steve’s unsuspecting face, baring two rows of perfect teeth in a sinister version of the Cheshire’s grin before he leaned in to whisper, “And what if I told you that I had another attack planned for the city?”

“I’d do my best to make sure that you didn’t hurt anyone,” Steve scrunched his brows in confusion, wondering where the god was going with this conversation.

“Oh I’m sure you would,” Loki murmured to himself, eyes now twinkling with a mischievous sparkle. “But what if a duel between us could be averted? Tell me, have you any gifts with you, Captain? It is customary to bring one gifts on one’s birthday, after all.”

“Well…I did bring two dozen roses that were hand-picked by Natasha as sort of a peace offering,” the blond replied haltingly, knowing this answer would probably earn him a scornful retort. This whole scheme had been a silly idea, but Thor had said that it just might work.

“Mm, I find that I have little use for such superfluities,” Loki replied breezily, running an index finger down Steve’s nearby arm just to watch the man squirm. Suddenly, his evening was looking up, even if the blond was bluffing about the presents.

“What if I said that I also brought one of Tony’s best bottles of wine?”

“Hmm, better but still not up to my standards. Try again, my dear Captain,” Loki hummed, his face now close enough for Steve to pick out the flecks of blue in his irises.

“Oh hell, Loki, I bet that I could offer you the damn moon and it still wouldn’t be enough to appease that bruised ego of yours,” Steve grumbled, shifting to put some distance between their bodies.

“Now what use would I have for your moon?” Loki sniggered, “tis nothing more than a glowing ball of rock and dust, is it not?”

Sensing that a change of tactic was in order, Steve released an irritated growl and pushed himself to his feet, muttering, “Since you’re so intent on being difficult, I figure that I may as well get this over with so I can at least say that I tried,” before he strode from the room only to reappear seconds later with a paper sack in his hands. “I know it won’t look like much, but since I didn’t know what your preferences were, I had to get creative. Thor couldn’t tell us what dessert you favored, so I made do with this. Happy Birthday,” he sighed, thrusting the bag at Loki with more force than what he had originally intended.

Not knowing what else to do, Loki accepted the offering with exaggerated care, keen eyes inspecting the bag for any traces of deception before clever fingers dove inside for the prize. The sight that greeted the Trickster once he saw what was inside, however, left him pleasantly stumped.

“What am I to do with this…what is this, exactly?” he asked, as he gingerly pulled the object from its confines and held it up for inspection, turning it this way and that. It appeared to be some kind of food, but Loki was by no means an expert on Midgardian cuisine and this looked to be a delicacy of some kind. “Am I expected to _eat_ this?”

“Hey, I’ll take it if you want. No sense in wasting a perfectly good candied apple,” Steve offered magnanimously, but Loki was too enthralled with the ruby orb in his hands to pay him much mind.

“Candied apple…how curious,” the god whispered absently, before taking a tentative bite.

Steve knew that he’d done well the moment that Loki’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Good, right?”

“Mm, much better than your offers of wine and roses,” the Trickster snorted, before diving in for a more hefty bite. “So tell me, what made you choose this particular treat? Is it a favorite of yours or something?”

The blond realized that he was definitely witnessing something rare when the infamous Loki spoke to him around a mouthful of food, and Steve hadn’t the heart to turn and flee, as had been his initial plan after he’d given Loki the bag. Instead, he plopped himself back down in his previous spot and shrugged, “When you think about it, a candied apple suits you. I mean, once you get past that hard shell…”

“Are you saying that I have a soft and chewy center, Captain?” Loki purred, arching a disbelieving brow at the man as he offered Steve a bite of his apple.

“Those’re your words, Loki, not mine. I’m just saying that I think there’s more to you than what you’d have others believe,” the Captain admitted, as he wiped traces of apple from his mouth.

“Do you ever get tired of being so blandly moral?” Loki grumbled, but there was no real heat in his voice as he allowed Steve another bite of apple.

The Trickster’s question was never answered, and neither man chose to break the companionable silence that descended in its wake. In fact, it wasn’t until Steve finally decided that it was time for him to leave that Loki dared to open his mouth again.

“Wait.”

Steve froze in his attempt to get up from his seat as he saw a long-fingered hand reach over in his peripheral vision, the appendage left suspended in the air before Loki brought it back to rest in his lap. Steve wondered just how much effort it had taken the god to whisper that one word, a quiet plea to remain just a while longer, and before he knew it he’d reached out and covered Loki’s hand with his own.

Loki, for his part, hissed an incoherent reply and squeezed the fingers that were trapped within his grip, his body slowly listing to the side until his head made contact with Steve’s shoulder. He had no sooner closed his eyes before he felt a warm breath ghost over his ear.

“Happy Birthday, Loki.”

Come morning, he would awaken to find two dozen roses displayed in various vases throughout his residence and a bottle of Tony’s finest standing proudly inside his refrigerator, but of all the gifts that Steve had brought him that night it was the man’s company that Loki appreciated the most. Perhaps he would try to get the Captain to join him for his next birthday…and then the one after that.


End file.
